Overview

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory offers clinical and anatomic laboratory services to medical facilities, physicians and other health care providers in New England.

Our commitment to you revolves around a team of highly qualified scientific and technical-area professionals, state-of-the art equipment, and sensitivity to client and patient needs. Elliot Hospital Laboratory takes pride in our long-standing reputation for consistently producing timely and reliable diagnostic laboratory services.

A full spectrum of laboratory testing is provided 24 hours per day, and our technical staff and pathologists are available around the clock for client consultation.

Mission

It is the mission of the Elliot Hospital Laboratory to provide outstanding health care while meeting the unique laboratory needs of our community. We are committed to maintaining a reputation of trust, respect, and responsibility through the delivery of quality patient care, excellence in performance, exceptional customer service and support for our health care providers.

Vision

The laboratory will continue to maintain high quality standards of performance and accuracy of results that physicians and patients can trust.

The laboratory will consistently deliver services as promised and exceed expectations to earn our physician’s and patient’s respect.

The laboratory will be fiscally responsible by spending to save and planning to grow.

Pathology Staff
(603) 663-2583
John Bissonnette MD
Laboratory Medical Director Chief of Pathology
Helen Fuhrman
Pathology Transcription Team Leader
John A. Bryan, M.D.
Associate Medical Director Section Pathologist
Heather L. Crowley, M.D.
Section Pathologist
Anil K. Dewan, M.D.
Pathologist
Lei Duan, M.D.
Pathologist
Margaret A. Fallon, M.D.
Pathologist
Weldon W. Sanford, M.D.
Section Pathologist
Jessica F. Sherman, M.D.
Section Pathologist
J Samuel Smoot, M.D.
Pathologist
Kremena Star, M.D.
Pathologist
Karen Wu, M.D.
Pathologist
Chengen Xu, M.D.
Section Pathologist
Professional Staff
Jody Batte
Cytology Supervisor
Sue Beliveau
Point of Care Coordinator
Sandy Bourque
NH Oncology Lab Supervisor / Sharon Cairns
Microbiology Supervisor
Alice Cashin
Blood Bank QI/QA Supervisor
Melinda Donahue
Phlebotomy Supervisor
Peg Donovan
Londonderry Stat Lab Supervisor
Nicole Fitzgerald
Interface Support Analyst,
Administrative Coordinator, Client Services
Linda Guillette
3rd Shift Lead Technologist
Deborah Harrises
Phlebotomy Team Leader
Kelley Hartwell
Point of Care Coordinator
Kim Keefe
Specimen Receiving & Phlebotomy Manager
Lisa LaLiberty
Chemistry Supervisor
Susan Lemire
Hematology Supervisor
Carol Lovely
Registration & Billing Team Leader
Mary Martin
Sales & Marketing Specialist
Sandy Moreau
Laboratory Director
Richard Viprino
Histology Manager
Chris Wright
Laboratory Control Manager
Rebecca Young
Specimen Processing Supervisor

Laboratory Services Licensing & Certification

Licensing and Certifications

AABB (Formerly American Association of Blood Banks) 1117 North 19th Street, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22209 Arthur Silvergleid, MD

Health Care Financing Administration

Provider number NH8027 C & S Administrative Services, Inc. Medicare B 100 Summer Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02110

College of American Pathologists

325 Waukegan Road, Northfield, IL 60093-2750. William Hamlin MD, Chairman Commission of Laboratory Accreditation

State of New Hampshire

Division of Public Health Services, Bureau of Health Facilities Administration, 6 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) – 1988

NCFA CLIA Program Department of Health and Human Services, PO Box 26687, Baltimore, MD 21207-9487. Anthony J. Tirone, Director

Policies – Elliot Hospital Laboratory

  • Billing – The Elliot Hospital Laboratory is a participating provider for private insurance / health plans, Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Client Billing – The Elliot Hospital Laboratory will bill the physician, medical group, hospital or clinic directly unless otherwise indicated by providing us patient demographics on the requisition. For client billing questions, please call 603-663-2556. Note that the Elliot Hospital Laboratory must bill the payor if the patient is covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
  • Patient Billing (Self-Pay) -The Elliot Hospital Laboratory will bill patients directly upon request. The following information must be completed on the laboratory requisition: patient and responsible party’s full name, complete address, phone number, patient date of birth, Social Security number, and ordering physician.
  • Third Party Billing – The Elliot Hospital Laboratory will bill third party payors, including Medicare and Medicaid directly upon request. The following information must be completed on the laboratory requisition: patient and responsible party’s full name, complete address, phone number, patient date of birth, sex, diagnosis (ICD-10) in support of each test ordered. Also include insurance company name, claim address, insured’s I.D., and certificate number.

If patient demographics are not provided on the requisition form the patient will be billed for the services. However, the laboratory billing department will make every attempt to contact the ordering provider to obtain any missing information that is needed to properly expedite patient’s insurance claims.

Billing Questions:

  • Questions regarding self-pay or third party billing, please call 1-866-890-8689
  • For client billing questions, please call 603-663-2556

Cancellation of Tests

Cancellations received prior to test set-up will be honored at no charge. Requests received after testing has started cannot be honored. A report will be issued and charge accordingly.

Cancellation of Tests

Cancellations received prior to test set-up will be honored at no charge. Requests received after testing has started cannot be honored. A report will be issued and charged accordingly.

Client Service

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory Client Services Department is the day-to-day liaison for laboratory users. Call Client Services for medical test results, to inquire about adding on a test on a previously submitted specimen, for assistance with routine specimen requirements, and order laboratory supplies and requisitions. Our knowledgeable staff works closely with the clinical laboratory departments and will connect you with a medical technologist if interpretive data is needed. At your request, Client Services will call or fax results.

Continuing Education

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory offers continuing education in laboratory medicine for employees and clients. Education includes in-service programs, teleconferences and written laboratory updates on new testing methodologies and the Elliot Hospital services and products.

Courier Service

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory provides courteous, prompt specimen courier service. Courier service is available as an on-call or scheduled basis for retrieval of specimens and delivery of laboratory reports and supplies. STAT service is also available, though limited by range, from the laboratory so as not to compromise turn-around time.

Client Office Transportation

  • Verify specimen container is sealed properly (primary package)
  • Place specimen(s) into an individual plastic biohazard bag and seal properly (secondary package)
  • Take all individual specimens and place into large biohazard bag and seal properly.
  • Place specimens in designated location for courier pick-up.
  • Courier will pick-up all specimens and place in a rigid container marked with biohazard for delivery to laboratory (tertiary package).

Normal Ranges

All reference ranges listed in this manual are adult normal ranges unless otherwise indicaed. Age and sex specific ranges are printed on the patient report.

Professional Courtesy

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory is honored when physicians select us to perform testing and pathological examination on specimens from themselves and members of their families. This holds true regardless of affiliation, allegiance or business relationship with our laboratory. However, this medical community’s long standing tradition of extending professional courtesy is now unfortunately viewed by the government as potential enticement to influence provider selection for patient testing when the government pays for services. Additionally, the IRS views professional courtesy as income to the recipient and requires that the organization extending the courtesy report the value as income to the recipients of those receiving the courtesy. Due to the above restrictions the Elliot Hospital Laboratory is unable to honor provider requests for professional courtesy.

Quality Assurance

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory is committed to the highest standards in laboratory medicine to assure the accuracy and reliability of clinical testing used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Our Quality Assurance (QA) Department is responsible for ensuring continuing compliance with the state and federal government regulations and with requirements for accrediting agencies.

The QA department subscribes to external proficiency testing programs and maintains an extensive internal proficiency testing program.

Quality assurance ensures that all personnel are evaluating the effectiveness of policies and procedures; identifying and correcting problems; assuring accurate, reliable and prompt reporting of test results; and assuring the adequacy and competency of testing personnel.

Send-Out Laboratory Testing

The Elliot Hospital Laboratory may send highly specialized testing to another laboratory for analysis. Many of the send-out tests are identified in the A-Z test listing in this directory. If a test is NOT listed, consult with the Client Services department for detailed information.

Specimen Handling

  • Exposure to Light – It is important to avoid exposing certain specimens for photosensitive analytes to artificial light or sunlight for any length of time. Examples: bilirubin, vitamin A and B12, beta-carotene, phosphatidylglycerol, and porphyrins. These specimens should be protected with an aluminum wrapper or equivalent.
  • Frozen Speciments – Our couriers do not routinely carry dry ice. If you have a specimen, which needs to be kept frozen, please contact Client Services at 603-663-3555.
  • Refrigerated Specimens – Place the specimen in the refrigerator for storage before pickup by the courier. When packaging for pick-ups, place the specimen (tube, cup or culture) into the Ziploc ® portion of the transport bag with the request slip placed into the outer pouch.

OSHA REQUIRES THAT ALL SPECIMENS ARE MARKED WITH A sealed BIOHAZARD LABEL. All specimens MUST be placed in the biohazard specimen transport bags provided by the Elliot Hospital Laboratory.

STAT, ASAP OR PRIORITY Testing

Requests for expedited STAT or PRIORITY testing should be made only when the patient’s condition requires immediate action, and results of the laboratory test(s) are required before a decision regarding treatment can be made. Check off the STAT or PRIORITY box on the requisition to request expedited testing. Office with electronic medical record systems such as Epic should enter orders with STAT or PRIORITY when needed.

Test Results and Turnaround Time

Test results by telephone are available through Client Services at 603-663-3555. Completed results are electronically transmitted, delivered by our courier service, or mailed, based upon the specific needs of each client. Partial or final reports are available upon request. Most routine tests are completed the same day they are received in the laboratory. Special or esoteric tests are performed as rapidly as complexity permits.

Unsatisfactory Analytic Results

There is no charge if Elliot Hospital Laboratory is unable to obtain a satisfactory analytic result. Repeat testing is also provided at no charge on the same specimen or a new one, if preferred. Please notify our Client Services Representatives at 603-663-3555 when requesting a repeat test.

Unacceptable Specimens / Specimen Rejections

Some specimens cannot be analyzed because of improper collection or degradation during transport due to improper handling. Other specimens may have prolonged turn around times because of lack of necessary ancillary specimens or patient information. Offices will be notified of rejected or problematic specimens upon receipt. Please consider the following elements for proper specimen collection:

  • Full 24 hours for timed urine collection
  • pH of urine
  • Lack of hemolysis/lipemia
  • Specimen type (plasma, serum, whole blood, source or site)
  • Specimen volume
  • Patient information requested
  • Patient / specimen properly identified & labeled
  • Specimen container (metal-free, separation gel, appropriate preservative, etc.)
  • Specimen stability
  • Transport medium
  • Temperature (ambient, frozen, refrigerate)

Specimen Identification Policy

In compliance with and adherence to the College of American Pathologists and the Joint Commission’s 2008 Patient Safety Goals (1A), Elliot Hospital Laboratory policy states that all specimens received for testing must be correctly and adequately labeled to assure positive identification. Specimens must have two (2) person-specific identifiers on the patient label. Person-specific identifiers may include: accession number, patient’s first and last name, unique identifying number (eg, medical record number), or date of birth. Specimens are considered mislabeled when there is a mismatch between the person-specific identifiers on the specimen and information accompanying the specimen (e.g., computer system, requisition form, additional paperwork). When insufficient of inconsistent identification is submitted, Elliot Hospital Laboratory will recommend that a new specimen be obtained, if feasible.

Specimen Collection & Preparation

Quality of laboratory results is directly dependent on the proper collection and handling of patient specimens. Specific requirements for each test including specimen container, specimen size, special preparation, and storage information are provided in the test requirements section of the manual. For information regarding specimen collection and preparation requirements contact our Client Services Representatives.

Patient Preparation

Consult the test listings for specific preparation requirements for each test procedure. For general patient preparation:

  • Establish complete identity of patient: Full legal name, date of birth
  • Explain steps of collection procedure.
  • Verify specific test requirements, such as fasting state, height and weight, or last medication dose.
  • Use approved collection procedures and practices.
  • Legibly complete test requisition and specimen labels according to the procedure.
  • Ensure appropriate aftercare for the patient.

Types of Blood Specimens

There are 3 general types of blood specimens that can be obtained for laboratory testing.

  • Serum: The liquid portion that remains on top of clotted cells after centrifuging whole blood that has been allowed to clot. It is different from plasma. To obtain serum, allow specimen to clot for 20 minutes, and not more than 2 hours, in an upright position. Centrifuge for 10 minutes at 3,000 rpm to 3,500 rpm. Store according to specific test directions.
  • Plasma: The liquid portion that remains on top of cells after centrifuging anticoagulated whole blood. To obtain plasma, centrifuge tube for 10 minutes at 3,000 rpm to 3,500 rpm. Store according to test directions.
  • Whole Blood Anticoagulated: Blood collected into anticoagulated vacuum tubes which are tested without centrifugation.

Blood Specimen Collection

  • Identify patient. Ask patient to state and spell his/her full, legal name and date of birth.
  • Position patient. Patient should be comfortable.
  • Situate and assemble equipment. Check expiration date on collection tubes.
  • Apply tourniquet 3 to 5 inches above area selected for puncture site. Tourniquet must not remain in place longer than 1 minute.
  • Select puncture site
  • Put on clean gloves.
  • Prep (cleanse) site with 70% isopropyl alcohol (for blood alcohol levels, use betadine or green soap). Prep with a circular motion outward from selected point of entry. The prepping agent must be dry before needle is inserted.
  • Remove needle cap; inspect bevel.
  • Secure vein with index finger located below selected site. Stretch skin tightly to prevent vein from rolling and to allow needle to penetrate with ease.
  • Hold vacuum tube with thumb on top and fingers on bottom. Fingers may be used as a brace against patient’s arm. Needle should be aligned with direction of vein with bevel facing upward. Enter vein at a 15 degree angle with a deliberate, yet controlled thrust.
  • Using 1 hand to steady holder and other hand to insert tube, push on end of tube with thumb and allow index and middle fingers to serve as leverage points on flange “ears” of holder. After vacuum is filled, blood flow will cease. The tube will completely fill to stopper. Wrap fingers around end of tube and pull tube off. Repeat this procedure with other tubes if more than 1 tube is needed. Gently invert gel barrier (serum separator) tubes at least 5 times and anticoagulated tubes at least 8 times.
  • If it is certain that the vein has been entered and blood has not drawn into the tube, the vacuum tube may be faulted and a new tube should be selected.
  • Loosen tourniquet before needle is removed. Tourniquet may be removed while blood is filling tubes.
  • Remove needle and apply pressure with a gauze pad, being careful not to scratch the patient’s arm as needle is pulled out.
  • Do not recap needles. ACTIVATE NEEDLE SAFETY DEVICE. Place needle/adapter in appropriate waste containers using an approved disposal technique.
  • Label tubes by clearly printing patient’s full name, date of birth, date and time of collection, and initials of person who performed collection.
  • Inspect site of venipuncture. Apply pressure until bleeding has stopped. If necessary, apply a dressing to puncture site. If there is excessive bleeding notify physician.
  • Remove gloves and discard in appropriate container. Wash hands.

Evacuated Tube Method

When using evacuated tube system, and when multiple tubes are to be drawn, the following “order of draw” is recommended to avoid contamination of non-additive tubes by additive tubes, as well as cross-contamination between different types of additive tubes:

  • Blood culture bottle(s) (and other tests requiring sterile specimens)
  • Light blue-top stopper tube(s): sodium citrate, or other citrate containing tubes or tubes for coagulation studies.
  • Plain red-top and serum separator tube(s): non-additive and gel separator, respectively.
  • Green-top or green/gray-top stopper tube(s): heparin.
  • Lavender-top stopper tube(s): EDTA
  • Gray-top stopper tube(s): potassium oxalate/sodium fluoride.

Syringe Method

Syringes come in various sizes, with 3 mL and 10 mL most commonly used for phlebotomy procedures. Syringes have 2 parts, a barrel with graduated markings in either milliliters (mL) or cubic centimeters (cc) and a plunger which fits in the barrel of the syringe. Push the plunger forward to break the seal before attaching it to the luer end of a 21 or 23 gauge “butterfly” collection device.